Gregor Paul - Top 10 of Everything Rugby

10 best captains

Brian ODriscoll (Ireland and British & Irish Lions)

It is only the elderly who can remember a time when Brian ODriscoll wasnt captain of Ireland. His tenure has been extraordinarily long, and to have survived in the job for nine years, as he has, is truly remarkable.

With ODriscoll at the helm, the Irish transformed from nearly men to a team of substance and achievers. Shortly after he took over from Keith Wood, Ireland won the Triple Crown their first since 1985. Another two would follow in 2006 and 2007, with a coveted Grand Slam secured in 2009.

It was a mark of the Irishmans standing that he was asked to captain the 2005 Lions tour to New Zealand, and his greatest regret that he was injured in the opening exchanges of the first test.

Approachable, articulate and not afraid to poke fun at himself, ODriscoll was one of the boys yet also set that little bit apart. The respect he commanded was enormous, and was founded on his ability as a world-class centre. For most of the first decade of the new millennium, ODriscoll was rated the best in the world.

He was also brave playing through numerous injuries and he has been an inspiration to thousands of young Irishmen. As speculation mounted that he would retire after the 2011 World Cup, he provided yet more evidence of how driven and focused he is, saying in an interview with New Zealand Rugby World that he wanted to try to hang on until the 2013 Lions tour.

For me, the inspiration is about trying to be the best that you can be, trying to show those who doubt me, the people who think Im over the hill, that I still have it I dont want to be someone who just petered off towards the end of his career, I want to go out on a high.

Dave Gallaher (New Zealand)

It is almost 100 years since Gallaher was killed in combat and yet his name looms large over New Zealand rugby. As the captain of the first All Black side to tour Britain in 1905, he was always going to hold a special place in the heart of a nation obsessed with the game and their beloved team. The team Gallaher captained became known as The Originals and were the men who established the reputation of the All Blacks. This great team the best the world has ever known and one with a record few of any code can match set the standards on Gallahers watch.

Irish by birth, Gallaher was a big man for the period and played with aggression and stunning insight. He was obviously light-years ahead of his time in the way he picked up in 1905 that there would likely be more conflict to arise as a consequence of the British teams propensity to kill second-phase ball. The British media in turn hammered him personally for what they saw as dubious play from a wing forward.

He compiled a book following the tour called the Complete Rugby Footballer where he wrote: I must confess that the unfair criticism to which I have been subjected, while in Wales especially, has annoyed me.

Gallaher shifted into coaching and selecting before he faked his age and joined the troops on the frontline. He was killed at Passchendaele in 1917.

Francois Pienaar (South Africa)

Francois Pienaar thought hed made an indelible footprint in rugby history when he captained the Springboks to World Cup glory in 1995. He had, but he made an even bigger one without actually doing anything when he was played in the movie Invictus by Oscar winner Matt Damon.

The fact Pienaar has been immortalised in film says it all this was a man who could lead. Pienaar, as became apparent in Invictus, was a genial, quietly spoken but fiercely loyal and determined captain. Hed arrived in the job as the shock choice but left it with everyone unanimous that the right one had been made.

South Africa was on the brink of a new political beginning when Pienaar took over the captaincy in 1994. Pieanaars open mind and force of will were a huge part in carrying his team to the tape. In a 2011 feature for Americas